Assessing interference environment for wireless communication devices

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a device and method to automate the process of measuring RF noise, correlating measured noise with known sources, and making adjustments to the noise-measuring and reporting process. A wireless communication device is coupled to equipment at a fixed location, and transmits data about the operation of the equipment back to an operator, via a provider&#39;s network. Examples include fixed wireless terminals. A management entity aboard the wireless communication device performs the measurements via a transceiver and performs remedial actions when required, without requiring an onsite technician or remote assistance. The management entity may include a spectrum analyzer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/268,119, filed May 2, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,879,998, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/591,016, filed Aug.21, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,718,566, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/819,045, filed Jun. 18, 2010, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,249,512, each of which is herein incorporated by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to wireless communication devices. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to measuring interference inthe radiofrequency (RF) environment of wireless communication devices.

2. Background of the Invention

Wireless communication devices are proliferating across the market. Theincreasing ubiquity of cellular telephones has manufacturers scramblingto provide faster, more efficient, and larger wireless networks.Further, the fusion of IP and cellular technology is allowing more andmore people, businesses, and industries to use these wireless networksfor all sorts of purposes.

This has led to wireless networks being used for non-mobile purposes.For instance, fixed wireless terminals are being installed or embeddedin a variety of equipment for a variety of purposes. Vending machinesuse wireless technology to transmit stock updates to the localdistributors. Traffic signals and cameras use wireless networks totransmit statistics as well as violations of the law to law-enforcementagencies. This emerging field of reporting updates wirelessly is knownas telemetry.

Unfortunately, the increasing concentration of wireless radio waves inthe environment results in such fixed terminals being susceptible tonoise and interference. Either the signal strength of the provider'snetwork is not strong enough, or another third-party network's signal isgenerating strong interference. Sometimes even proximally placedelectronic objects such as televisions and microwave ovens result inunacceptable levels of noise, resulting in a communication breakdownbetween the embedded wireless device in the equipment, and theprovider's network.

Diagnosing these issues has its own problems. Since the wirelesstransceivers embedded in this equipment is not meant to be operated byhumans, it is generally transparent to a user (i.e., hidden awaysomewhere). At present, the only ways to diagnose these problems is tomeasure the noise in the RF environment around the equipment. This isdone by sending an engineer or technician to the site itself, andperforming spectrum analyzing measurements locally. This is expensive,time-consuming and does not always solve the problem. Especially whenconnection issues are intermittent, it is not always convenient to senda technician to a site at the right time when the connection will break.This results in frequent misdiagnoses. Even if measurements are made bya spectrum analyzer incorporated within the equipment, the storedmeasurements have to be accessed locally, especially when connectionissues are presently prevalent.

What is needed is a way to automate the process of measuring andreporting noise and interference in an RF field around a wirelesscommunication device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above-identified problems in theconventional art by automating the process of measuring noise,correlating measured noise with known sources, and making adjustments tothe noise-measuring and reporting process. A management entity aboardthe wireless communication device performs the measurements via atransceiver, and performs remedial actions when required, withoutrequiring an onsite technician or remote assistance.

In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention is a noise-measuringdevice, including a processor; a transceiver in communication with theprocessor; a memory in communication with the processor; and amanagement logic on the memory. The management logic enables thenoise-measuring device to measure an ambient signature of aradio-frequency (RF) environment of the device, store the ambientsignature, measure a noise signature of an RF band, compare the noisesignature with the ambient signature, determine that a threshold isexceeded, and perform a remedial action.

In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention is a method formeasuring noise in a radio-frequency (RF) environment of a device havinga transceiver. The method includes measuring an ambient signature of anRF environment of the device, the ambient signature including aninterference signature for a known third-party network; storing theambient signature; measuring a noise signature of an RF band in the RFenvironment; comparing the noise signature with the ambient signature;determining that a threshold is exceeded, the threshold including atleast one of a signal strength of a provider's network, an error rate,an interference level, and an interference mask; and performing aremedial action.

In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention is a computerprogram product stored on a memory of a device having a processor and atransceiver. The computer program product includes computer-executableinstructions for measuring an ambient signature of a radio-frequency(RF) environment of the device, the ambient signature including aninterference signature for a known third-party network; storing theambient signature; measuring a noise signature of an RF band in the RFenvironment; comparing the noise signature with the ambient signature;determining that a threshold is exceeded, the threshold including atleast one of a signal strength of a provider's network, an error rate,an interference level, and an interference mask; and performing aremedial action.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communication device for measuring noise,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a method for measuring noise, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A-3B respectively show ambient and noise signature measurements,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A-4B show a noise signature measurement for a vending machine ina student lounge, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 5A-5B show a noise signature measurement for a vending machine ina more crowded student lounge, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a user interface on a remote and a local display, accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above-identified problems byautomating the process of measuring noise, correlating measured noisewith known sources, and making adjustments to the noise-measuring andreporting process. A wireless communication device is coupled to anydevice, machine, or instrument, and transmits data about the operationof the device, machine, or instrument back to an operator, via aprovider's network. Examples include fixed wireless terminals. Amanagement entity aboard the wireless communication device performs themeasurements via a transceiver, and performs remedial actions whenrequired, without requiring an onsite technician or remote assistance.The management entity may include a spectrum analyzer.

The measurements include an ambient radio frequency (RF) environmentusing signals received from an antenna coupled to the transceiveritself. This measurement is stored as an ambient signature.Subsequently, at a pre-programmed interval, the management entityautomatically disconnects the transceiver from the provider's network,measures a noise signature in the RF environment around the antenna, andprocesses the noise signature measurement to determine if a remedialaction needs to be taken. The noise signature measurement can be takenfor multiple frequencies, bands of frequencies, or specific frequencieswithin a band. The noise signature measurement is correlated with thestored ambient signature. If a pre-programmed threshold, such as noiselevel or signal strength, is crossed, then a plurality of remedialactions may be taken, from adjusting a frequency of measurement ofnoise, to adjusting a trigger for noise measurement, to performing adifferent type of noise measurement (for instance on a differentfrequency band), to reporting the noise measurement and/or generating analarm. The report and/or alarm are transmitted to an operator of thedevice/machine/instrument after the measurement is complete and thetransceiver is re-connected to the provider's network.

“Wireless communication device”, as used herein and throughout thisdisclosure, refers to any electronic device capable of wirelesslysending and receiving data. A wireless communication device may have aprocessor, a memory, a transceiver, an input, and an output. The memorystores applications, software, or logic. Examples of processors arecomputer processors (processing units), microprocessors, digital signalprocessors, controllers and microcontrollers, etc. Examples of devicememories that may comprise logic include RAM (random access memory),flash memories, ROMS (read-only memories), EPROMS (erasable programmableread-only memories), and EEPROMS (electrically erasable programmableread-only memories).

“Logic” as used herein and throughout this disclosure, refers to anyinformation having the form of instruction signals and/or data that maybe applied to direct the operation of a processor. Logic may be formedfrom signals stored in a device memory. Software is one example of suchlogic. Logic may also be comprised by digital and/or analog hardwarecircuits, for example, hardware circuits comprising logical AND, OR,XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations. Logic may be formed fromcombinations of software and hardware. On a network, logic may beprogrammed on a server, or a complex of servers. A particular logic unitis not limited to a single logical location on the network.

A wireless communication device also includes a transceiver to connectto a network. One example of a network interface is a SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) card. A “network” can include broadband wide-areanetworks, local-area networks, and personal area networks. Communicationacross a network is preferably packet-based; however, radio andfrequency/amplitude modulations networks can enable communicationbetween communication devices using appropriate analog-digital-analogconverters and other elements. Examples of radio networks include WI-FIand Bluetooth® networks. Wireless communication devices may have morethan one transceiver, capable of communicating over different networks,for instance, a GPRS transceiver for communicating with a cellular basestation, a WI-FI transceiver for communicating with a WI-FI network, anda Bluetooth® transceiver for communicating with a Bluetooth® device. Anetwork typically includes a plurality of elements that host logic forperforming tasks on the network.

A wireless communication device can be coupled to or incorporated withina larger apparatus for communicating updates or diagnostics about theapparatus to an operator or owner of the apparatus. Several examples ofthis type of telemetry are conceivable in the fields of stockmanagement, security and defense, agriculture, medicine, etc. Forinstance, a vending machine is able to transmit stock updates to avendor via the wireless communication device. A road-side enforcementunit that monitors traffic and/or takes photos of speeders can uploadthe data to a law enforcement agency. A security system having aplurality of sensors dispersed around an area can report temperature,carbon monoxide, or break-in alerts to a central monitoring station.Other examples will become apparent in light of this disclosure.

For the following description, it can be assumed that mostcorrespondingly labeled structures across the figures (e.g., 132, 232and 332, etc.) possess the same characteristics and are subject to thesame structure and function. If there is a difference betweencorrespondingly labeled elements that is not pointed out, and thisdifference results in a non-corresponding structure or function of anelement for a particular embodiment, then that conflicting descriptiongiven for that particular embodiment shall govern.

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communication device for measuring noise,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Device100 includes an antenna 101, a transceiver 103, a Central ProcessingUnit (CPU) 105, a memory 107, management logic 108 and spectrometer 109.Other components are possible but not displayed, such as a power supply,additional logic to perform telemetry tasks, as well as additionalcomponents related to the machine/instrument that device 100 is a partof.

Antenna 101 converts radio frequency (RF) waves into electrical signals,and transmits the signals to transceiver 103. Antenna 101 can be tunedby transceiver 103 to receive a particular frequency or band offrequencies, such as provider's signal 111. If appropriately tuned,antenna 101 can also tune into third-party signal 113 or other signal115. Antenna 101 can also be used by transceiver 103 to transmit RFsignals. Transceiver 103 is designed to operate in a particular band offrequencies (RF band), such as GPRS, Bluetooth®, WiMax, etc. In thiscase, transceiver 103 is tuned to receive from and transmit toprovider's network 111. The instructions of what data to transmit, andhow to process received data, are stored in logic in memory 107, andperformed by CPU 105. Instructions to perform diagnostic measurementssuch as ambient signature measurements and RF noise measurements arestored in management logic 108. Spectrum analyzer 109 is a virtualspectrum analyzer (software based), or any conventional spectrumanalyzer coupled to device 100, such as an Agilent PSA spectrum analyzeror others with equivalent performance characteristics. Operation ofmanagement logic 108 and spectrum analyzer 109 may be controlled via auser interface accessible on a display that is in communication withdevice 100 either directly or remotely across provider's network, asdescribed later with respect to FIG. 6.

During normal operation, device 100 is registered with provider's signal111, and periodically or continuously transmits and receives data acrossthe provider's network. However, the addition of signals 113 and 115 cancause interference and noise as described above. Further, this candeteriorate the strength of provider's signal 111. Consequently,management logic 108 contains instructions to disconnect or de-registerdevice 100 from the provider's network, and perform a noise signaturemeasurement. During this process, all signals in the RF environment ofantenna 101 are measured, and their effects on the provider's signal 111are computed by spectrum analyzer 109. The collective effects are termeda noise signature. The concept of a noise signature, and how it ismeasured, are described in U.S. Patent Publication 2009/0066343, whichis assigned to the assignee of the present application, and which thecontents thereof are hereby incorporated in their entirety. Briefly,each RF signal, 113 and 115, potentially contributes to the noiseinduced in antenna 101, and each RF signal displays its own unique“signature”, where signals within the RF band of provider's signal 111can vary according to the contribution. The noise signature measurementis stored on memory 107.

Furthermore, an ambient signature measurement may be performed whendevice 100 is first installed in its location. The ambient signaturemeasurement includes a measurement of the provider's signal 111, as wellas other RF signals in the RF environment while device 100 is in a fullyoperational state, and is stored on memory 107. Management logic 108 andspectrum analyzer 109 perform subsequent noise signature measurementsand compare them to the ambient signature measurement. Any thresholdsdefined in the ambient signature measurement, or in another set of rulesstored on memory 107, provide a benchmark of minimum performance. Ifthese thresholds are crossed, management logic 108 undertakes remedialactions, such as adjusting a frequency of noise signature measurement, atype of noise signature measurement, reporting the noise signature atthe particular time, or generating an alarm. Adjusting the type of noisesignature measurement includes varying the RF band for performing themeasurement, focusing on a particular frequency, etc.

FIG. 2 shows a method for measuring noise, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. At step S251, a wirelesscommunication device embedded in a particular piece of equipment isinitialized by measuring the ambient signature of the RF environmentaround the equipment. Ideally, the ambient signature measurement isperformed when it is known that the device is in an optimallyoperational state, such that a benchmark or minimum threshold of qualitycan be defined. The threshold can be defined in terms of the signalstrength of the primary provider's network, a noise floor, interference,or combinations thereof. Furthermore, any signatures of knownthird-party networks (such as other provider's networks) can be includedwithin the ambient signature. These known signatures, also known as“masks”, represent known sources of noise at a tolerable, i.e. ideallevel. At step S253, the ambient signature, along with the thresholds,is stored for future reference. This can be considered a “training”process.

A noise signature measuring procedure is initiated at step S255 bydisconnecting the wireless communication device from the provider'snetwork. This step can be performed as per a set schedule, randomly, orby a prompt or command initiated remotely across the provider's network.Ideally, Step S255 is performed automatically by a management entityaboard the wireless communication device. At step S257, a noisesignature is measured as described above. This is similar to the ambientsignature measurement, except that it is performed automatically andpotentially in a non-ideal RF environment. At step S259, a comparison ofthe noise signature is made against the ambient signature. This stepincludes applying any masks of known networks against the noisesignature to remove or cancel out any noise effects of known networks.The masks themselves can have tolerances such that tolerable variationsin the known network signal are cancelled out/ignored.

After comparing, step S261 determines whether any thresholds, either inthe ambient signature or in the masks are exceeded. As described above,these thresholds include signal strength dropping below a certain point,or noise/interference levels rising above a certain point. If athreshold is not exceeded, then step S263 determines if there were anyknown networks in the noise signature based on the comparison to masks.If all tolerable noise is caused by known networks, then the wirelesscommunication device reconnects to the provider's network S275, and themethod ends. If there exists tolerable noise that is caused by anunknown network, or a new noise source, this new “mask” is added to theambient signature in step S265, and the method ends S275. This additionof new masks of tolerable noise sources enables the device to constantlylearn or be “trained” of new sources of noise in the environment, sothat in the future these sources can be applied against subsequent noisesignature measurements.

Getting back to step S261, if the noise threshold is exceeded, then thenoise signature is stored S267 in a memory on the wireless communicationdevice. At step S269 a remedial action to be taken is determined.Although step S269 shows a choice between adjusting a noise measurementand submitting a report, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusiveand can both be performed. If adjustments need to be made, at step S271,the adjustments are performed. These adjustments include adjusting thefrequency of measurement of the noise signature, for instance, byincreasing the measurements at the particular time that the noisethreshold was exceeded, or by performing more frequent measurements.This adjustment can be stored on a memory and provides future triggersto initiate step S255. Further, adjustments can include adjusting thetype of measurement, for instance, by broadening the range of the RFband, narrowing the range, or by measuring particular frequencies.Moreover, adjustments can be performed synergistically, for instance—ifa particular noise source of a known network exceeds a threshold arounda specific time every day, then the adjustments would include measuringaround the frequency band of the known network at the specific time inthe future. Other adjustments will become apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the art in light of this disclosure.

If a report is to be submitted, step S273 includes generating thereport. The report includes at least the noise signature measured, anymasks applied, time, date, any triggers associated with the measurement,and the results of the comparison with the ambient signature. Otherdetails such as location, test equipment signatures, etc. can bereported. The report is either transmitted to a responsible party, suchas an operator of the equipment, or to the provider of the network, fordiagnostic purposes. Alternatively, the report can be stored on thedevice memory and accessed either directly or from a remote locationacross the network. The submission/retrieval of the report occurs, ofcourse, after reconnecting to the network in step S275.

In alternative embodiments, diagnostics can be triggered remotely, evenin the case that the transceiver does not have a strong link with theprovider's network. So long as there is an existing downlink channel, avery minimal packet of data can be acknowledged, putting the device intoa mode where the device makes either periodic or continuous noisesignature measurements, and saves that information to memory. Locallyaccessing the stored reports is beneficial in this case. A techniciancould go out to the equipment and use a physical connection or anear-field technology, such as Bluetooth® or WI-FI, to extract thereport from the device. In alternative embodiments, where the linkstrength is very weak, a diagnostic can be triggered locally in order tocommand the device into a measurement mode.

FIGS. 3A-3B respectively show ambient and noise signature measurements,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.3A, X-axis 323 shows a spectrum or band of frequencies measured, andY-axis 321 shows a noise level as a function of the frequency. Solidline 325 represents the level of noise measured with two peaks at twodifferent frequencies. For instance, frequency band 323 could range from500 MHz to 2000 MHz, with the peaks corresponding to two separate GSMnetworks. Dashed line 327 represents a maximum tolerance or threshold,as a function of noise floor 325. Conceivably, threshold 327 is amaximum level of noise that allows a decent communication link betweenthe wireless communication device and a provider's network. Thecombination of noise floor 325 and threshold 327 is stored in the devicememory as an ambient signature.

FIG. 3B shows a subsequent noise measurement, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. The noise signature is representedby line 329. When compared to threshold 327, it is observed that for aportion 330 of the RF band between the peaks, the noise signature 329exceeds the threshold 327. Depending on the RF range being used tocommunicate with the provider's network, this excess noise can trigger ahost of remedial actions from simply re-taking measurements at that timeof the day, to zooming in to range 330 for a more precise noisemeasurement, to generating an alarm.

FIGS. 4A-4B show a noise signature measurement for a vending machine ina student lounge, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. Referring to FIG. 4A, Vending machine 400 has an antenna 401coupled to an embedded wireless communication device 402. In the sameroom are laptop users 431, the laptops having wireless radios thatenable WI-FI communication with a wireless access point (WAP) 433. WAP433 includes an antenna 434 that transmits and receives wireless signals435. For the purposes of this embodiment, signals 435 will be termedthird-party signals.

Vending machine 400 uses wireless communication device 402 to report itsstock and other information back to a vendor or supplier of the snackswithin vending machine 400. Occasionally, wireless communication device402 is unable to communicate across the provider's network for anynumber of reasons. To determine the cause of these connectivity issues,the supplier has equipped embedded device 402 with a management moduleand/or a spectrum analyzer. When embedded device 402 was installed, anambient signature measurement was performed, and stored along with athreshold. This is represented by threshold 427 in FIG. 4B. Further, themanagement module within embedded device 402 allows noise measurementsto be taken at dynamically defined intervals, or based on triggers. Themanagement module reports the results of these noise measurements to thesupplier, vendor, or operator of the vending machine, so that a moreeffective diagnosis can be made of the connectivity issues.

For instance, as shown, two laptop users 431 are operating their WI-FIenabled laptop computers in the study lounge. The power requirement ofantenna 434 is not very high, and therefore, third-party signal 435 doesnot generate an excessive amount of interference or noise. This can beseen in the graph of FIG. 4B. Noise signature 425 remains belowthreshold 427, and therefore, no remedial action needs to be taken.Although remedial actions such as storing the measurement and generatinga report may be performed, the threshold remains un-exceeded, so thereis no need for alarm.

However, FIGS. 5A-5B tell a different story. The same student loungeincludes vending machine 500 equipped with antenna 501 and wirelesscommunication device 502, as well as WAP 533 having antenna 534.However, owing to the presence of several additional students 531, thepower required to communicate with the several additional laptop users531 increases the strength of the third-party signal 535. This increasedsignal strength causes more noise and interference within antenna 534,and reduces the quality of communication with the provider's network,causing connectivity issues.

Triggered by a pre-defined interval, an error in communication, or anyother factor, embedded device 502 disconnects from the provider'snetwork and initiates a noise signature measurement. The results of thismeasurement are shown in FIG. 5B. As seen in the graph, noise signature529 is well above threshold 527 for a significant portion of the RFband. The comparison causes the management entity within embedded device502 to perform one or more remedial actions, such as increasing afrequency of measurement at that particular time, further analyzing theaffected portion of the RF band, generating and submitting a report, orgenerating an alarm. The report, as well as the frequency ofmeasurement, can be based on a pattern determined by how often and atwhat time of day the interference increases, depending on when thenumber of laptop users in the room increases.

As described above, diagnostics can be triggered remotely or locally,and reports can be acquired in a similar fashion. Moreover, adjustmentsto the programming of the management unit can be performed via a userinterface in communication with the wireless communication device eitherremotely or locally.

FIG. 6 shows a user interface on a remote and a local display, accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Equipment 600includes a wireless communication device 602 having an antenna 601.Antenna 601 enables communication with a provider's network 611. Also incommunication with provider's network 611 is a remote entity 681 havingat least a transceiver (not shown), a display 683 and an input device685. Remote entity 681 can be a handheld computer, personal computer,terminal, or similar device. User interface 686 is shown on display 683and enables a remote user to adjust measurement frequency, measurementtype, and other features of both the management logic and the spectrumanalyzer included within wireless communication device 602.

Further, in the case that antenna 601 does not have a strong link withprovider's network 611, it is possible to locally access the userinterface by using an interface cable 690 connected to local device 691.Local device 691 has similar components to remote device 681, exceptthat it communicates with wireless communication device 602 using aninterface cable 690. Although a cable is shown, it should be understoodthat any local interface can be used, wired or wireless, where wiredincludes at least USB, FireWire, serial, parallel, or similarinterfaces, and wireless includes any near-field technology likeBluetooth® or WI-FI. A technician uses device 691 to extract reportsfrom wireless communication device 602, as well as to configure themanagement logic and spectrum analyzer within.

The foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations andmodifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent toone of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. Thescope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appendedhereto, and by their equivalents.

Further, in describing representative embodiments of the presentinvention, the specification may have presented the method and/orprocess of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps.However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on theparticular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process shouldnot be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps maybe possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth inthe specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims.In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of thepresent invention should not be limited to the performance of theirsteps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readilyappreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause theprocessor to perform operations comprising: measuring an ambientsignature of a radio frequency environment of the device, measuring anoise signature of a radio frequency band of the radio frequencyenvironment of the device, comparing the ambient signature and the noisesignature to determine whether a threshold is exceeded, and in responseto determining that the threshold is exceeded, performing a remedialaction.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises amaximum level of noise that allows a communication link between thedevice and a network.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the remedialaction comprises at least one of adjusting a frequency of measuring thenoise signature, adjusting a type of measurement of the noise signature,reporting the noise signature, or generating an alarm.
 4. The device ofclaim 3, wherein reporting the noise signature comprises generating areport comprising the noise signature and a result of comparing theambient signature and the noise signature.
 5. The device of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise de-registering from a networkprior to measuring the noise signature.
 6. The device of claim 1,wherein the ambient signature comprises a signature of a knownthird-party network.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein comparing theambient signature and the noise signature to determine whether thethreshold is exceeded comprises applying the signature of the knownthird-party network against the noise signature to remove noise effectsof the known third-party network.
 8. A method comprising: measuring, bya device comprising a processor, an ambient signature of a radiofrequency environment of the device; measuring, by the device, a noisesignature of a radio frequency band of the radio frequency environmentof the device; comparing, by the device, the ambient signature and thenoise signature to determine whether a threshold is exceeded; and inresponse to determining that the threshold is exceeded, performing, bythe device, a remedial action.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein thethreshold comprises a maximum level of noise that allows a communicationlink between the device and a network.
 10. The method of claim 8,wherein the remedial action comprises at least one of adjusting afrequency of measuring the noise signature, adjusting a type ofmeasurement of the noise signature, reporting the noise signature, orgenerating an alarm.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein reporting thenoise signature comprises generating a report comprising the noisesignature and a result of comparing the ambient signature and the noisesignature.
 12. The method of claim 8, further comprising de-registeringfrom a network prior to measuring the noise signature.
 13. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the ambient signature comprises a signature of a knownthird-party network.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein comparing theambient signature and the noise signature to determine whether thethreshold is exceeded comprises applying the signature of the knownthird-party network against the noise signature to remove noise effectsof the known third-party network.
 15. A memory storing instructionsthat, when executed by a device comprising a processor, cause the deviceto perform operations comprising: measuring an ambient signature of aradio frequency environment of the device; measuring a noise signatureof a radio frequency band of the radio frequency environment of thedevice; comparing the ambient signature and the noise signature todetermine whether a threshold is exceeded; and in response todetermining that the threshold is exceeded, performing a remedialaction.
 16. The memory of claim 15, wherein the remedial actioncomprises at least one of adjusting a frequency of measuring the noisesignature, adjusting a type of measurement of the noise signature,reporting the noise signature, or generating an alarm.
 17. The memory ofclaim 16, wherein reporting the noise signature comprises generating areport comprising the noise signature and a result of comparing theambient signature and the noise signature.
 18. The memory of claim 15,wherein the operations further comprise de-registering from a networkprior to measuring the noise signature.
 19. The memory of claim 15,wherein the ambient signature comprises a signature of a knownthird-party network.
 20. The memory of claim 19, wherein comparing theambient signature and the noise signature to determine whether thethreshold is exceeded comprises applying the signature of the knownthird-party network against the noise signature to remove noise effectsof the known third-party network.